It's safe to assume that Barcelona's actions in the transfer market have caused some raised eyebrows in different parts of the world.

Recent financial difficulties made it difficult for the Catalans to sign new players, but at the same time they were spending a lot of money on fresh, well-known players.

They paid big sums to attract players like Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, and Raphinha just for the summer of 2022.

Even while it hasn't always been the best strategy, their propensity to spend a lot of money isn't necessarily new.

Simply consider Philippe Coutinho. Formerly an expensive star signing, currently an Aston Villa player. Perhaps Antoine Griezmann. Another costly star acquisition. Another player is now active elsewhere.

Barcelona's transfer activity has, in short, been hit or miss, as shown by the list below.

The ten most expensive players ever signed by Barcelona.

10. Ferran Torres | Manchester City | €55 million/£49.50 million | 2021.

The first high-profile acquisition made by Xavi was Ferran Torres, who was signed by Barcelona for €55 million (£49.50 million) from Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola, the manager of City, deemed the former Valencia player surplus to requirements, and his departure became official in January 2022 when he signed a five-year deal with Barça.

9. Raphinha Leeds | 2022 | €58 million/£52.20 million.

Raphinha was a part of the ground-breaking 2022 summer transfer window created by Barcelona president Joan Laporta.

Raphinha, who scored 11 goals for Leeds United during the 2021–22 Premier League season, was seen as the ideal candidate by the Catalan giants who were anxious to reinforce their right wing.

Due to the Brazilian winger's desire to go on, Leeds were left with no choice but to sell him, and Barcelona beat Chelsea and Arsenal to his signature by agreeing to pay €58 million (£52.20 million).

8. Miralem Pjanic | Juventus | 2020 | €60 million/£54 million

Miralem Pjanic and Arthur switched sides at an exorbitant price as part of an "accounting" trade planned by Barcelona and Juventus in 2020 to balance the books for both organizations.

The Bosnian joined Besiktas on loan just one year after moving to the Camp Nou, then in the summer of 2022, he permanently left the Catalan club after receiving a free transfer to Sharjah FC of the United Arab Emirates.

Pjanic played with Barcelona for just 1,296 minutes while making 30 appearances.

7. Zlatan Ibrahimović | Inter | 2009 | €69.50 million/£62.55 million

When Barcelona had their eyes on Zlatan Ibrahimović in 2009, they made the decision to spend heavily during the transfer window.

A staggering €69.50 million (£62.55 million) was paid for the striker, but the Sweden legend's fortunes immediately declined.

He lost his starting spot after having a falling out with the team's then-manager Pep Guardiola.

Despite this, Zlatan had a respectable goal scoring record at Barcelona, scoring 22 goals in 46 games while helping the team to victories in the Club World Cup, La Liga, UEFA Super Cup, and two Spanish Super Cups.

Barcelona traded him to the Italian powerhouses for €24 million (£21.60 million) after lending him to AC Milan for a season in 2010.

6. Luis Suárez | Liverpool | €81,72,000,000; £73,55,000,000 | 2014

In the summer of 2014, Barcelona paid Liverpool an eye-watering €82 million (£73.55 million) to acquire the superstar Luis Suárez from Uruguay.

Barcelona were forced to make a move for Suarez after his 31 goals and 19 assists in all competitions for Liverpool the previous season.

The forward played in 283 games for Barcelona, scoring 195 goals and assisted 113 others, averaging more than 30 goals per season while at the club. He formed a dream strike combo with Lionel Messi and Neymar.

5. Frenkie de Jong | Ajax | 2019 | €86 million/£77.40 million

Frenkie de Jong, one of the most sought-after midfielders in the world, was acquired by Barcelona in the summer of 2019 following Ajax's incredible run to the UEFA Champions League semifinal in the 2018–19 season.

In an effort to usher in a new era at the club, the Blaugrana paid a stunning €86 million (£77.40 million) to Ajax for De Jong.

However, neither the player nor the team have quite fared as well as they had hoped financially or in terms of football.

De Jong hasn't quite been able to duplicate his Ajax form at Camp Nou, and throughout the summer of 2022, Manchester United was frequently mentioned as a potential destination for him as Barcelona looked to offload one of their highest-paid players.

However, the Dutchman was not very interested in moving abroad and declined the opportunity to rejoin old manager Erik ten Hag at United.

4. Neymar | Santos | 2013 | €88 million | £79.20 million.

Neymar left Santos to join Barcelona for €88 million (£79.20 million) in 2013, making him one of the most expensive footballers in the world at the time. This transaction eventually led to former club president Josep Maria Bartolomeu being convicted with tax fraud.

The Brazilian forward reached his peak in the 2014–15 season, playing with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez and scoring 39 goals and setting up 10 more in 51 games as Barcelona won the UEFA Champions League. This was after a period of adjusting to European football.

In his four generally successful seasons at the club, Neymar made a total of 186 games for Barcelona across all competitions, contributing to 76 goals and scoring 105 himself.

The winger was ultimately sold to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for an eye-popping €222 million (£199.80), which is still the highest transfer fee in sports history.

3. Antoine Griezmann | Atlético Madrid | €120,000,000 | £108,000,000 | 2019

After Neymar left for PSG, Barcelona sought to bolster their attacking options, and their search eventually brought them to Antoine Griezmann of Atlético Madrid.

2019 saw Barça fulfill his €120 million (£108 million) release clause to Atlético after failing to entice the Frenchman to Camp Nou the season before.

Griezmann played 102 times for the Blaugrana, contributing to 35 goals and 17 assists, but his high salary forced Barcelona to loan him back to Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2021. The loan was then extended for an additional year during the summer transfer window of 2022.

2. Ousmane Dembélé | Dortmund | 2017 | €125,000,000/£112,50,000,000

Barcelona made Ousmane Dembélé their first target during the transfer window in response to Neymar's world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.

Borussia Dortmund, though, made the most of their ability to demand a significant premium for the French superstar.

Dembélé became the second-most expensive player in club history after Barcelona paid €125 million (£112.50 million) to acquire him.

However, the Frenchman has had a difficult time staying consistent during his time at Barcelona due to a string of injuries.

Dembélé signed a contract extension with Barcelona until 2024, dispelling rumors that he will leave the team in 2022.

1. Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool, €135 million/£121.50 million, 2018

Barcelona spent a fortune on Liverpool player Philippe Coutinho after Dembélé initially failed to adequately replace Neymar.

The Brazilian was the most expensive acquisition in Barcelona's history when he was purchased in the January 2018 transfer window for €135 million (£121.50 million).

As astounding as his price was, Coutinho's move to Camp Nou was mainly ineffective as he made only 106 appearances while contributing to 25 goals and 14 assists.

He was sent a loan to Bayern Munich for the 2019 summer, but the German club chose not to exercise their option to purchase him.

Aston Villa, owned by Steven Gerrard, eventually expressed interest in signing Coutinho in January 2022. After five months back on loan in the Premier League, Villa made Coutinho's transfer permanent in the summer of 2022 for just €20 million (£18 million).

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